Zarghona Pamiri gave up on her education when Afghanistan's Taliban rulers banned women from attending university in December.
But Pamiri recently enrolled in an online university, allowing her to circumvent the ban and continue her studies.
She is among the thousands of women who have joined the Afghanistan Online University, a new virtual-learning platform that offers free university courses and degrees to women.
"It has given Afghan women a glimmer of hope," Pamiri, who was a postgraduate student at Kabul University, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "Online education is beneficial. We learn a lot from the lessons over the Internet."
Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban has imposed dozens of restrictions on women's appearances, freedom of movement, and their right to work and receive an education.
Only girls below the sixth grade are allowed to attend school. High schools for girls have been closed, despite repeated promises to reopen them. In a major blow, the Taliban banned women from attending university on December 20.
The militant group said its latest ban was necessary to prevent the mixing of genders at universities. The Taliban also claimed that women were not adhering to a strict Islamic dress code.
'Fill The Education Gap'
Afghanistan Online University was founded by Afghan academics living in self-imposed exile in Europe. It offers degrees in everything from psychology and economics to computer science, and has over 400 staff members.
The university's website says it provides education and research opportunities "by and for Afghans and anyone interested in studies relevant to Afghanistan."
"The aim is to fill the educational gap in Afghanistan," Afghan academic Farhad Arianfar, one of the founders of the online university, told Radio Azadi.
Female students stand in line after they arrive for entrance exams at Kabul University in Kabul in October.
Some 6,000 students are currently enrolled at the university. They were chosen from the around 15,000 women who applied for a place at the virtual campus after it was launched last month.
The university, however, is not without its challenges. Widespread electricity cuts and weak Internet connection in Afghanistan have undermined its reach and impact.
The Taliban has also refused to grant accreditation to the university. The militant group did not respond to repeated requests from Radio Azadi for comment.
In the meantime, Afghanistan Online University is seeking accreditation in the European Union. Its website says it is aiming to establish a campus in Europe and needs more than $33 million per year to fund its activities.
Arianfar says the university will continue to offer free courses. To mitigate the impact of electricity and Internet disruptions, he says the university is recording lectures.
Farida Mohmand, a former minister of higher education in Afghanistan, says the online university's efforts are commendable. But she says virtual learning will not solve the country's education crisis. "The fundamental solution is to reopen universities for Afghan women as soon as possible," she told Radio Azadi.
Female university students stopped by the Taliban stand near a university in Kabul in December.
International efforts to convince the Taliban to rescind its education ban, which prompted widespread condemnation, have failed.
Shala, a Kabul University student who signed up for a course at Afghanistan Online University, says she is grateful that she is able to resume her studies. "God willing, I will earn a bachelor's degree from this university," Shala, who did not reveal her full name for fear of retribution, told Radio Azadi.
Afghanistan Online University is the latest effort to offer free online education to Afghan girls and women.
The Herat Online School, which provides several thousand school-age girls in Afghanistan with online classes, was launched just weeks after the Taliban seized power. The courses are available free of charge to girls anywhere in Afghanistan or elsewhere with access to the Internet, including Afghan refugees in Iran who have been denied an education.
SEE ALSO: Armed With Online Option, Afghan Girls Say 'Bring It On' When It Comes To Taliban Education BanThe U.S.-funded American University of Afghanistan also provides online courses to hundreds of female students who remain in the country. Many of its students and staff fled abroad after the Taliban takeover.